Method and apparatus for applying closures to containers



` Sept. 28, 1944. 4 w1-@MAS- 8,858,889

METHOD AND APPARATUS FonAPPLINc-I -cLosUREs To voNTAINERs Filed June 27, 1942 Jiq ' cap blank for use with my invention;

Patented Sept. 26, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT oralesv METHOD APPARATUS FOR APPLYING CLOSURES T CONTAINERS John Wayne Thomas, New Kensington, Pa., as-

'signor to. Aluminum Company yof America, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application June 27, mi2, serial No. 448,812

25 claims. (ci. 22e- 84) This invention relates to closures and tov a method and apparatus for applying reclosure caps to containers. 1

Reclosure caps usuallyare strengthened at the lower edge of the skirt, as by 'a wire edge bead, and provided with lugs adapted to snap into place under a bead on the container when the cap is used as a reclosure. A sealing gasket within the closure is adapted to seat firmly upon the-top of the container. l

It is an object vof the present invention' provide a simple and positive means for applying a reclosure cap upon a container. More particularly, it is an object of the invention to provide a sealed package provided with a closure of the reclosure type vwhich is firmly held in posii tion on the mouth of the container without interference with the easy removal thereof. Speciflcally, the object'oi' ythe invention is a method and means for forming and .applying a reclosure cap rmly to a container while eilecting economy of operations and parts without danger of excessive glass breakage.

'Other objects andV advantages will be apparent from the following description of one form of the invention shown in the accompanying drawing, in which: v

Fig. 1 is a vertical, cross-sectional view lof-'a Fig. 2 is a vertica1cross-sectional view of the improved sealing head showing the relative positions of the container, the cap, and the head at the beginning of the sealing stroke, the container being shown in elevation; y

' Fig. 3 is a partial, vertical, cross-sectional view on a larger scale illustrating the initial contact of thev sealing head with the cap skirt;

Fig. 4 is a partial, vertical, cross-sectional view showing the relative positions of the container, the cap, and the sealing head at the end of the sealing stroke;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but taken on a different diameter of the sealing ring; and

Fig. 6 is a bottom plan view of the formed rev closure cap.

The cap blank I0 has a flaring skirt II finished with a relatively large wire edge bead I2. The finish of the container I3 ischaracterized by a solid bead Il and a restricted throat I5. Within the sealing head I 6 is a top pressure block I'I which seats the blank on the container, and a sealing ring I8 is removably secured to the head IB. The aperture in the ring I8 leading into the head I6 is generally bell-shaped and'is provided with a number of equally spaced lugs I9. Seven oi' these lugs I9 are provided in the form shown, but it will-be understood that the number of lugs mayvary, as,ffor example, according to the size of the cap to be applied. Each lug I9 has a flat, Vertical face 20 fairing into the wall of the bellshaped aperture in the ring at its upper end and a fiat lower face 2I disposed at an angle to the face 20 and iairing into tbe wall of the aperture. Preferably, the vertical and angular faces are joined by a short arcuate i'ace as shown.

1li prefer to form 'the wall voi the aperture with angular portions at the top and near the bottom',Y said angular portions being joined by an arcuate portion, but the configuration of the aperture wall is not limited to any precise design- VThe form shown, with the upper wall 22 disposed atan angle of 12 from the vertical, and anVV arcuate portion 23 below the portion 22,

will eiect positive sealing with minmium topl means and method arev adaptable to any' sealing stroke comprising relative approaching movement of the sealing head and the container support.

At the beginning of the sealing stroke, the top pressure block I1 bears upon the top of the cap blank and compresses the sealing gasketV 24 against the container. Initial contact vbetween the sealing ring I8 and the skirt oi.' the cap blank is made by the lugs I9 against the bead I2, as will be seen by reference to Fig. 3. On continuation oi.' the sealing stroke the lugs I9 flatten the bead I2 and indent it as at 25 (Fig. 4). The bell face oi' the ring comes into contact with the circular bead and gradually const-riots the portions of the bead between the indented portions 25, and this constriction of the bead between the indentations buckles the flattened and indented portions 25'under the container bead I 4 and into the throat I5 to a greater degree than would be eected by the lugs I 9 alone. This result will be seen by reference to Fig. 4, which is a section taken through one of the lugs it, and Fig. 5, which is a section taken between lugs. normal sealing stroke, the constriction of the cap bead between indentations is such as will with a,

straighten the cap skirt below the maximum `dl ameter of the container bead I4. that portion of the skirt above the maximum diameter of the container bead retaining its nare.

Due t the disposition of the faces 2|l of the lugs and the arcuate wall portion 23 of the aperture, the deformation of the portions 25 of the bead is muchniore rapid than the constriction of the remaining portions of the bead, so that the buckling of the portions 25 when the constriction takes place is assured. 'Such buckling will occur if the indented portions 25 are formed in the cap blank and only the constricting step is performed in the sealing stroke, but lt is pre' n ferred to effect both operations in the sealing stroke.

'I'he skirt bead of the completed seal, including the indented portions thereof, has consid-` package, the unindented portions of the cap bead being disposed so as to clear the container bead.H With this .arrangement the closure may 1. A. sealing head including a ring having a downwardly ilared aperture and a plurality of fixed equally spaced lugs extending inwardly from-the wall of the aperture, each of said lugs having a at, perpendicular face extending downwardly from the top of theaperture and a flat. angularly disposed face fairing into' the wall of the ,aperture above the maximum diameter of the aperture.

2. The method of applying a closure having a wire edge bead to' a container having a bead about its mouth, which comprises collapsing spaced portions on the closure bead, indenting said spaced portions, and thereafter buckling said portions yunder the container bead by the application of pressure to the unindented portions of the closure bead between said spaced portions, said unindented portions being substaneasily be pried 0i! with any bladed tool, and lthe shoulder 26 may be provided on the container 'l2 to facilitate such-removal.

In the event of overtravel oi' the parts, there will be no further deformation by the lugs I! after the vertical faces of the lugs reach the bead of the cap, and thev further constriction oi' the bead between the indented portions 25 will not be such as to cause excessive glass breakage or to seat the closure too firmly for easy removal. Moreover, the angular disposition of the upper wall 22 of the aperture will permit removal of the sealed package from the head in the event of overtravel otherwisesuilicient to way ot illustration, nor precisely to the methody described hereinabove by way of example, and

that modiiications are possible within thescope of the appended claims. 'A

I claim:

tially concentricwith and having free passage over the container beadi 3. The method of applying a closure having a wire edge bead to a container having a bead about its mouth, which comprises collapsing the closurebead at intervals greater than they, amplitude of a single collapsed portion, indenting said collapsed portions, and thereafter buckling said collapsed portions under the container bead by the application of pressure to the unindented portions of the bead, said unindented portions being substantially concentric with and having free passage over the container bead.

i 4. 'I'he method of applying a closure having a wire edge bead to a container having a bead about` its mouth, which comprises ilattening spaced portions of the closure bead, indenting said spaced portions, .and thereafter buckling said portions under the container bead by the application of pressure tothe unindented portions of the closure bead between said spaced portions, said y unindented portions being substantially concentric with and having free passage over the container bead.

5. 'I'he method of applying a closure having a wire edge bead to a container having a bead about itsv mouth, which comprises vertically flattening the closure bead at intervals greater than the amplitude of a single collapsed portion, indenting said flattened portions, and thereafter buckling said attened and indented portions under the container bead by the application of pressure to the unindented portions of the closure bead between said flattened and indented portions, said unindented portions being substantially concentric withand having free passage over the container bead.

JOHN' WAYNE THOMAS. 

